A Petaluma man who's believed to have killed his girlfriend on Friday died in a fiery motorcycle crash with another vehicle after he sped northbound onto the southbound lanes of Highway 101.

As KPIX reports, 34-year-old Petaluma resident Joseph Dane Beaver is believed to have purposely taken his own life by speeding onto the freeway going the wrong direction, colliding with a southbound Honda Fit at 1:20 a.m. Friday morning. A 24-year-old woman driving the Honda was reportedly pulled from her burning vehicle by a passerby and sufferer major injuries, but she is expected to survive.

The collision happened in Petaluma, and Beaver was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the time. The collision investigation closed down the southbound lanes of 101 until 5:45 a.m. Friday.

Police responded to a welfare check on the 700 block of Sixth Street in Petaluma around 2 a.m. Friday, and there they found the remains of 28-year-old Lauren Brittney McCrum, who had been killed with a baseball bat and a knife. McCrum and Beaver were allegedly involved in a relationship for two years, according to Petaluma Police Lt. Ed Crosby.

"The totality of circumstances suggests the death on Sixth Street and the fatal incident on the freeway are related events,” said the Petaluma Police Department in a news release.

The Press Democrat first reported on the link between the crash scene and the crime scene on Friday.

Anyone with information concerning the crash or the homicide investigation is asked to contact Petaluma Police Detective John Silva at 707-778-4532.

Photo: Austin Neill/Unsplash